DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA
51-9141 Semiconductor Processing Technicians
Occupational Description:
Perform any or all of the following functions in the manufacture of electronic semiconductors: load semiconductor material into furnace; saw formed ingots into segments; load individual segment into crystal growing chamber and monitor controls; locate crystal axis in ingot using x-ray equipment and saw ingots into wafers; and clean, polish, and load wafers into series of special purpose furnaces, chemical baths, and equipment used to form circuitry and change conductive properties.| Percentiles | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geography | Employment | Emp SE* | Mean | Mean SE* | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
| Minnesota | 140 | 16 | $17.87/hr | $0.55/hr | $12.85/hr | $14.34/hr | $17.54/hr | $21.38/hr | $23.83/hr |
| U S | 27,680 | 2,048 | $20.47/hr | $0.53/hr | $13.13/hr | $15.31/hr | $18.57/hr | $24.25/hr | $31.32/hr |
| *SE = Standard error, a measure of the statistical reliability of the estimate. | |||||||||
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| Occupation (click title for details) | OES | Projections | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | Median Wage | % Change 2020 - 2030 | |
| Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, & Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, &Tenders, Metal & Plastic | 470 | $18.13/hr | -6.2% |
| Tool and Die Makers | 240 | $27.64/hr | N/A |
| Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders | 40 | $18.43/hr | N/A |
| Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders | 10 | $15.28/hr | N/A |
| Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Tasks for Semiconductor Processing Technicians
- Measures and weighs amounts of crystal growing materials, mixes and grinds materials, and loads materials into container, following procedures.
- Forms seed crystal for crystal growing or locates crystal axis of ingot, using x-ray equipment, drill, and sanding machine.
- Aligns photo mask pattern on photoresist layer, exposes pattern to ultraviolet light, and develops pattern, using specialized equipment.
- Attaches ampoule to diffusion pump to remove air from ampoule, and seals ampoule, using blowtorch.
- Places semiconductor wafers in processing containers or equipment holders, using vacuum wand or tweezers.
- Monitors operation, and adjusts controls of processing machines and equipment, to produce compositions with specific electronic properties.
- Manipulates valves, switches, and buttons, or keys commands into control panels to start semiconductor processing cycles.
- Etches, laps, polishes, or grinds wafers or ingots, using etching, lapping, polishing, or grinding equipment.
- Operates saw to cut remelt into sections of specified size or to cut ingots into wafers.
- Cleans and dries materials and equipment using solvent, etching or sandblasting equipment, and drying equipment to remove contaminants or photoresist.
- Studies work order, instructions, formulas, and processing charts to determine specifications and sequence of operations.
- Loads and unloads equipment chambers and transports finished product to storage or to area for further processing.
- Inspects materials, components, or products for surface defects and measures circuitry, using electronic test equipment, precision measuring instruments, and standard procedures.
- Counts, sorts, and weighs processed items.
- Stamps or etches identifying information on finished component.
- Maintains processing, production, and inspection information and reports.
